JacquesCousteau

Thanks for this post about tools, as a beginning modeler this is very helpful. I've never used planes before, so if you don't mind me asking, how difficult were they to use to shape the planks, and what advantages do they offer over an exacto knife?

Finished up the helmsman's platform/locker lid! Sorry in advance if this post is very tedious, but I have little enough building experience that this sort of thing is still pretty new to me, and I wanted to document it. First, I added a support across the transom, then a couple angled edge pieces along the sides. I don't have calipers, but I used a compass to measure the width. Then I made a card mock-up. Due to the limits of my skills, the platform lid isn't perfectly rectangular, but it's close enough. I transferred the shape to 1/32 basswood, cut it out, checked the fit, stained the top, and then cut it into four boards that will run breadthwise. I also used a pencil to lightly mark the seams. Given that it's a tight fit, I was worried that assembling it off-board would lead to fit issues, so I decided to assemble it in place. First I used scrap to add a bit of a shelf poking out from under the sides to support the boards. Once that dried, assembly was simple. I like that it's a more subtle seam between planks than on the locker front. Next, the hinges (non-functional), which I made of card and a bit of sanded-down toothpick. Hinge design was inspired by a door in ChadB's Triton Cross-Section build (in post #46 there). It was easy to cut one card hinge to size, but I had a much harder time getting two that were the same. After a few failed attempts, and after accidentally cutting my one good hinge too short, I used the remains to make a guide hinge of thin basswood, then traced that onto card, cut them out, and painted them black--which I decided I liked better than the dark brown I used for the Cargo Canoa. Unfortunately, carelessness in the multiple rounds of tracing left the hinges much too wide. So, I trimmed one to size, also adding more of a taper along its length. The correct width is on the right, the too-wide one on the left. The difference is notable, I'm glad I didn't leave it as-is. The hinge barrels were made of a toothpick sanded down to a smaller diameter. With that, the hinges were assembled, and the locker/platform is complete!

This question probably betrays my lack of knowledge about kit design, but would a cross-section kit be feasible?

The frame pieces across the bottom (which, if I understand correctly from build logs of much more complicated ships, are called floors?) are in. I also added the cleats toward the bow that seem to have been common features of these vessels. As mentioned, the frame floors didn't take the stain nearly as evenly as the frame sides (futtocks? Timbers? I'm sure there's a correct term). This is very visible in the photo below. I'm not sure why this happened. The floors were certainly sanded as smoothly as the sides, which came out pretty even. It's not a problem because they'll be almost totally covered, but it's good to know for the future. In general, I've noticed that the thicker basswood, which is scrap leftover from the dory kit, doesn't take the stain as evenly as the thinner basswood sheet does. In evening up the sides, I did end up sanding off a bit of the stain at the ends of the frames. I'll need to restain this very carefully, especially as the stain tends to over-darken the end grain. At least the wales are already sealed so I don't have to worry about staining them. I will be experimenting with scrap pieces, and will try getting the stain from the pen onto a brush in order to have more control over staining.

Thanks! We did discuss the flooring earlier. If I'm understanding what you're suggesting, I think it would be a very good option. Each panel could be long enough to go across a couple frames, but without being so long as to be unwieldy. Interestingly, while poking around at some photos on the mediateca site, I came across an image I had forgotten about that does show the interior of a canoa, albeit a smaller fishing canoa. It's a little hard for me to tell whether it has flooring or not (other photos have shown that small vessels at times did not)--I'm not sure if the dark lines across the bottom are frames or the shadows of the crossbeams. https://mediateca.inah.gob.mx/islandora_74/islandora/object/fotografia%3A194349 Thanks!

After traveling again, I'm back at the build. On the Canoa de Rancho, I remade the frame piece that I earlier noted looked too blotchy. I also added a false stem made of 1/16-inch-thick basswood, and sanded it into a rounded triangular cross section. I decided that I liked the look of the "screws" on the locker, so I added them to the middle and bottom frame pieces. Unlike the test on the top frame piece, I didn't use a drill bit, which I think skated a bit on the surface and helped cause the unevenness in the line of holes there. Instead, I just used a needle as an awl. I think I came out more even, and it's a slightly more subtle look. I also darkened each hole with a sharp pencil. Upon consideration, I decided to go with the natural wood color for the hull interior. So, next, I coated the interior with sealer-varnish and glued in the side frame pieces, using clamps to hold them in place. I also glued in the locker front and the rear bottom cleat, as well as the rudder support beam running vertically across the exterior of the transom (not pictured). Next up, I'll be adding the bottom frame pieces, some cleats, and the mast step, and fabricating the locker lid/helmsman's platform. I'm happy with how it's coming, but there are a few challenges I see up ahead. First, a few issues with the bottom. While I haven't had trouble erasing pencil marks before, I was unable to erase the lines across the interior of the bottom. (Before you ask, this was before I added the sealer). I'm not sure if I let them sit too long before trying to erase or what, but the bottom will be very messy. Also, the floor pieces of the frames, which were stained, seem to have turned out blotchier than the side pieces. I don't think either of these issues will be much of a problem, as I will be installing floor paneling, and I plan on leaving only very small gaps between floor planks--the gaps on the Cargo Canoa are too large, I think. So, there will be very little visible beneath the floor planks. But, that brings me to the next issue: the layout of the floor planking. As I've discussed earlier, there are no photos of the flooring and what evidence there is about layout is vague. I'm operating on the assumption that the planks must have been removable so that the bilge could be drained. Earlier, I was intrigued by wefalck's suggestion that removeable deck pieces arranged across the breadth rather than lengthwise would be easiest to allow for removal and bilge drainage--longer pieces would be a bit heavy and awkward to remove. However, José María Angulo Sepulveda's drawing of a canoa--the only depiction of floor planking I have--does show lengthwise planks (although he only depicts them at the bow, going for a cutaway style aft, and of course I've noticed some inaccuracies and irregularities in the drawing). One option I'm weighing would be a hybrid solution. I could install a few removable planks running across the beam amidships, where bilge warer would be most likely to collect, especially around the mast step. I could then have lengthwise planking fore snd aft of this. BUT: this hybrid option is a bit complicated, which may not comport with my sources. Ramón Rubín's novel La canoa perdida doesn't provide much detail on the floor planking itself (he just refers to it as a "tarima de panel" (75), which unless I'm missing something is a pretty generic term for planked flooring). But he strongly implies that the flooring is very simple. For reasons too complicated to get into here, the novel's protagonist, Ramiro Fortuna ends up taking his canoa before the boat builder has fully finished it. Among other things, it still needs a tiller, a mast step, and the flooring. Although not a carpenter, Fortuna is able to make these himself or with a friend's help, with very simple tools, very quickly. Granted, this is for a small fishing canoa, not a Canoa de Rancho, but this suggests to me that the decking likely was made from whatever planks were readily available. A few other flooring notes: * If this vessel is intended for fishing, they have to expect to take on water. Nothing I've seen suggests that canoas had cambered decks, so if the deck was caulked, water could easily pool, which could be a problem. I think that leaving small gaps between planks for drainage to the bilge makes more sense. * Laying planks lengthwise over the frames strikes me as easier to do than laying them crosswise and having to prop up any that end up unsupported between frames. * Lengthwise planking is also how they planked the elevated foredeck, according to photos, which may suggest they would do the same for the main flooring. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears!

Good luck on the dissertation! Having recently been there myself, I don't envy you being in the writing phase. But it might be good to have a hobby to take your mind off it? In any case, the build is coming along quite well, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it finishes!

Bem-vindo, Viriato! Uma desculpa que meu portugues não é muito bem. Espero ver um "log de construção" em breve, e fotos na galeria dos modelos ja construidos. Eu gosto os embarcações tradicionais portuguesas. Também, eu deveria dizer que Modelshipworld tem uma política de falar em inglês para que todos possam comunicar-se, varias pessoas usam os traduçoes de Google sem problema.

Fantastic job, that looks excellent!

Hi Macika, welcome! You've probably seen this elsewhere here, but the Model Shipways beginner kits (in order, the dory, the sailing pram, and the lobster smack) are very reasonably priced, well-made, and have detailed, very useful instructions. There are also a lot of build logs for them, which is extremely helpful as you go along with the build. Midwest also has some reasonably-priced small vessels that seem to come together into nice models. Even a small rowboat can be surprisingly complicated to scratch-build well, and a good beginner's kit would also help with learning the terminology.

I've never used it, but I think it should come up if you google "pre-stain wood conditioner." There are also some threads showing people's tests comparing different stains with and without the conditioner, that would probably have more detail.

Excellent job, and your enthusiasm for the build really comes through in the log!

Short update before travel takes me from the build again. At this point, I can't really fine tune the joints between the pieces of the frames without having one frame stuck in place, so I'll need to attach the upright portions. I've stained them with the stain pen in preparation. Overall I think they turned out ok. One in particular is a bit blotchy--the piece split a bit during sanding and needed to be glued--so I might redo it. I also conducted an experiment with the locker front. The upper frame will be mostly covered by the lip of helmsman's platform, so I decided to try approximating screws there. I did so with the smallest drill bit I have, making a small and shallow hole. After the first few (from the left) started going a little awry, I realized I needed a straight edge. I used one, but it's still a little uneven. As the unevenness makes clear, I'll have to be careful if I decide to do this in a more visible location. I'm still deciding whether to do the rest of the frames like this, as a learning experience, or whether to leave it. I think I like the look, but only if I can get a straighter row--I should practice a bit more on scrap first.

I don't have much modeling experience, so take this with a grain (or hefty spoonful) of salt. But I've recently started using a Minwax golden oak stain pen for parts of my Canoa de Rancho build. I turned to it because 1) I'm effectively limited to using basswood for most everything for now, rather than being able to bring in other woods, 2) I didn't like the look of painting the interior, and 3) due to work, I'll likely be moving a lot for the foreseeable future, and I didn't want to have to worry about lugging around a can of stain (or throwing it out, I don't want to waste it). So, a pen seemed like a useful way to experiment with using stain. It seems to be working out ok so far, with some caveats. I'm only using it for some small parts--frames and a locker--and I wouldn't want to use it for staining large pieces (I suppose it could work, but basswood is known for not taking stain well unless treated with a conditioner, which I also don't want to buy a can of for the third reason above). The pen takes a little getting used to and it's easy at the start to accidentally press too hard and flood everything with stain. I can't say how the pen color compares to the can color. If I were staining more, or were staying in one place for longer, I would probably just buy a can, which would be more cost-effective. But, for the purpose of staining a few small parts, the pen seems to be working ok for me.

The curved line is where the transom is supposed to be cut, right? Checking other build logs, it looks like DonBMichigan and SkiBee had the same issue and just cut the transom line a bit higher up. I haven't done this build, but unless there's something further on that requires the transom to be at the exact dimensions of the scribed line, it doesn't look like it would cause a problem if it ends up a little taller.

Looks like you're off to a great start! It may be too late, but regarding the slight warp in the keel: would it be possible to attach the keel to a straightedge of some sort and use the glued floorboards to hold it in position? It may not be much of an issue, though.

Wow, nicely done!

A very brief follow-up. I did another test fitting of the frames and locker front. Next up: cutting the top of the frames to the correct height and finessing the frame joints. A couple things. First, I had marked the mast step location based on the plans I drew up, but I'm thinking it might look better shifted one frame back. Second, while I'll be staining the frames, I'm still debating whether the basswood planking is too pale to leave natural (with only a sealer/varnish coat). Things to consider.

I finished up the front of the locker, and I'm happy with how it turned out. I've wanted to improve my skills at cutting precise joints, and the framing, while very simple, was a good opportunity to work on that. Initially I was going to do a miter joint at all four corners, but I messed up the angle when cutting the bottom frame piece. Valuable lesson about measuring twice and cutting once! I considered making a new piece, but realized I could flip it upside down, as the cleat across the bottom will cover the misshapen corners. I also decided to do a rabbet joint at the bottom, as I thought it looked better. (Feel free to correct me if I'm getting the joint names wrong!) Getting everything lined up took some patience, especially cutting the sides to size, but I got the pieces in place. I had considered doing some sort of lap joint for the crossbeam, but I decided against it for a few reasons--the wood is very thin, and any mistake would require extra staining that would likely leave a large dark blotch. I went with a simple butt joint instead. In any case, the crossbeam wouldn't have much pressure on it, as its purpose is mostly to keep the vertical planks behind it from buckling or shifting under weight and to add to the sturdiness of the overall framing. Test placement in the hull with the figure for scale. Once the decking is in, it will effectively be about 4 inches (at scale, 1/8 inch) shorter. I'll glue the cleat in place after the locker is permanently attached. Changing gears, I finished cutting the frame bottoms to the proper thickness. I won't be able to fair them in the hull, as they need to be stained before placement, so I needed to get them consistent now. I stuck them all together, in order and up against each other, on a piece of masking tape. As can be seen, I did not have the smoothest or most consistent cuts. Like with the locker planks, I probably could have made it more consistent if I had cut the frames from a long beam/strip that was already of the right thickness/height. The tape made it easy to sand along the top with a sanding stick. The frames are now much more consistent than before, which will make the deck planking run smoothly. I'm trying to do briefer updates instead of lengthy walls of text. Not sure if I'm really succeeding, though!

Looks great!

While continuing work on the frames, I also started on the rear locker/helmsman's platform. On the Cargo Canoa, as seen below, I built it very simply: the front is a single piece (with some decorative "molding" at the sides), and the top is two pieces (a crossbeam at the rear and a lid). Although I'm happy with how the Cargo Canoa's locker turned out (more or less--I could have squared it better), I wanted to make something more interesting for the Canoa de Rancho. I was particularly inspired by an old, large, lidded wooden crate my family uses as a side table. The sides of the crate are made from vertical planks with framing on the exterior. It's very sturdy and can easily support heavy weights, which is ideal for something meant to serve as a platform. (Blurry photo below). Although I'm not going to copy it completely, I want to borrow elements from it for my build. Maybe it's a little overbuilt for what is a pretty simply-constructed vessel, and (as mentioned when I was building it for the Cargo Canoa) it's not entirely clear that canoas even had lockers under the helmsman's platform--there are no photos and I'm extrapolating from a rather vague textual reference and knowledge that such things were included in other simple boats built elsewhere. Were this intended as a museum piece meant to faithfully represent a canoa, I would probably leave it off. But, I'm building this for fun. My goals are enjoyment and skill-building while creating a plausible representation of what a canoa might have been like. Accuracy is important, but, especially given the paucity of clear sources for so many details, I'm not going to worry about it if at times I have to step into the realm of the merely plausible. First I used paper to get a template for the size and shape. Next, I traced the template onto 1/16‐inch basswood, cut it out, and lightly stained the front. Then, I marked out individual planks on the back and cut. Although the triangles at the sides are wide enough that they should be made of two separate planks, I left them as one because the joint would be covered by the framing. After cutting them and realizing I had a lot of little pieces to keep track of, I numbered them. Can you spot my careless error? Somehow I missed a piece! After test-fitting it everywhere I decided it most likely came from the side, between pieces 1 and 2. I numbered it 1.5 and turned over the pieces to allow the stain to fully cure. I like the color and am finding the stain pen to be pretty easy to work with. I'm hoping to learn new techniques, so I decided to use this as a way to practice caulked planking. I lightly sanded the edges of the planks so that they would stand out better once glued back together, then used a pencil to draw along the right edge of each piece. I then began gluing the planks together on top of the template, using a straightedge to keep them lined up. After all were attached, I sandwiched the pieces between two metal rulers and clamped it to dry, then I checked how it came out the next day. Overall, I'm happy with how my first "deck planking" has turned out. Some of the pencil lines are thicker than others, which is something to try to correct in the future, and the close-up photo really exposes the fuzziness of the wood. (I think it looks better in person). There's some unevenness in plank width, due in part to my decision to cut the planks from the piece, which required marking each plank and created lots of opportunities for inexact cuts. It would be more consistent if I cut the planks from a strip of consistent width, instead of trying to cut planks of consistent width from an already shaped part. Making more of a jig to hold everything in place, and figuring out some way to better clamp the pieces together, are steps I'll consider for future builds. Test fitting in the Canoa. It's not quite squared up here, but I'm liking the contrast between the stained and natural wood! Next, the framing. I'm planning on using 1/16-inch wide strips from the 1/32‐thick basswood I bought for the top, sides, and crossbeam. But the bottom poses a bit of a challenge, as part will be covered up by the interior decking. After considering a few options, I decided it would make sense for the base to be a wider piece than the other frames, which would also make it visible poking out above the decking. I'm also going to be attaching a cleat to the front of the bottom frame. This is necessary for the interior decking as the frames don't extend all the way across the hull. On the Cargo Canoa, the cleat was separate from the locker, but I have very little space on the Canoa de Rancho between the locker and the first frame, so it makes sense to attach the cleat to the locker. A test fitting with unfinished pieces (not yet cut to size, and not all frames included) should make what I'm talking about more clear. I stained the pieces and cut them oversize. This gives a rough idea of what the framing will look like (minus the cleat), although all pieces will be better-shaped and joined neatly instead of passing over each other. (Also, it will be squared up rather than roughly placed). I'm enjoying my progress on this build and having fun learning new techniques!

After being away for a while, I'm back to work on the Canoas! While I was traveling, I found my mind wandering to other project ideas, so it's good to be able to focus on an actual build. I left off with the side portions of the frames nearly complete, so next up is making the portions that run along the bottom. I cut some 3/32-inch strips from the 1/8-inch thick sheet I have left over from the dory build, and cut the frame bottoms roughly to size. Nothing's glued in yet, and the frames still need proper trimming both to reduce their thickness to 3/32 square and to tidy up the joints with the side portions. But I'm happy with how it's coming along, it looks a lot better than just an empty shell of a hull and I'm looking forward to installing them. I've begun reducing the height of the bottom frames from 1/8- to 3/32-inch, and have finished the starboard pieces (counterintuitively located on the center-left of the photo). The difference in height with the port pieces, on the center-right, is apparent. As can be seen, I've been taking care to label all the pieces so I don't lose track. Although much simpler than the amazing plank-on-frame models elsewhere on this site, there are still 32 frame pieces to keep in order, which is much more than I've dealt with before! I also experimented with using the stain pen to add color to the frames, which on the actual vessels would have been made of a different, darker wood than the planks. (I'm thinking of leaving the planking it's natural color on the interior). While traveling, I did a quick test with some scraps cut--messily due to my lack of tools--from the 1/32-inch sheets I got. I liked the results: from top to bottom, two layers of stain, one layer of stain, and no stain. But, I wanted to test things out on scraps that were closer in size to the frame pieces. I also wanted to test if the stain could be used over a sealer to provide a more even color. On the left is a piece that I stained in several layers. The color is ok, but I think it would be more even if I was more patient and let the stain cure overnight between coats. It also shows that I'll need to be careful with the ends, which really soak up a lot of stain and darken too much. In the middle is a piece I stained after first applying sealer, which didn't really work--the stain couldn't really penetrate the wood and just sat on the surface, making it very easy to accidentally scrape off. On the right is a piece with just one layer of stain. I think the color is good, but it's a reminder that staining will bring out any imperfections in the piece. In this case, there was a bit of a gouge running the length of the piece that ended up much darker than the rest.

As someone who's strongly considering this kit as my next build, I'm looking forward to following along!

Thanks for the suggestions! I have some tulle fabric that should work for the nets, I previously used it for the funnels in the lobster trap for the dory. Seeds could be interesting. The wooden beads I have correspond to roughly 12-inch round watermelons, which seems to be within the standard size range for present-day melons. They may be slightly on the large size for watermelons from circa 1900, but I think they should work out ok. I'll be trying to sand them a little, too, as most watermelons aren't perfectly round but a bit elongated.

Due to travel, I haven't done any further work on the build and won't for another few weeks. But, I have picked up a few small things that should be useful. As I've mentioned before, the only basswood I can find in Mexico is 1/16th inch thick, so I took advantage of being in the US to get a few sheets of thinner, 1/32 inch thick basswood (which I had to cut down in size so it fits in my carryon). It will be useful for some of the furnishings in the hull as well as the internal decking. The thatched rancho poses a bit of a building challenge. I was originally planning on using coconut fibers to make the thatching (which was made of reeds in real life). But, getting enough fiber seemed like it might be a pain in the neck. I saw this "excelsior" material and thought it might be easier to work with, although I'll still have to cut it to the right size. Canoas seemingly all had anchors dangling off their bows whenever they were sailing, attached to a sturdy chain. I got a couple of the thinnest jewelry chains I could find (they were cheap), one in a vaguely brass color and the other in more of a stainless steel. I'll have to experiment a bit when it comes to working with them, and I'm still trying to decide how to make the anchor. I picked up a couple threads and clamping tweezers, all intended for fly tying. The tweezers, especially, should make knots and rigging much easier. I got a few small dowels, perhaps useful for oars or fishing gear, and some wooden beads. I wasn't originally going to include a load of cargo, but I think it could be nice to include something with the Cargo Canoa. Gibbon mentioned watching a load of watermelons being unloaded from a canoa, so I'm going to see if I can fill in the holes in the beads and make a few. Finally, I still wasn't loving my tests with the paint for the Canoa de Rancho's interior, so I picked up a stain pen. I know that basswood is infamous for not taking stain well, but if I'm only staining the frames (hence leaving the planking natural) I think it could work? The frames are small so any blotchiness shouldn't be too noticeable, I imagine. I'll test it out beforehand, though.